Hutch makes your search come alive

O&M creates an amusing television commercial for Hutch-Microsoft Windows Live Search, using Eskimos in India

In today's world, where & #BANNER1 & # everybody is searching for something or the other, search on mobile phones is still unimaginable for many. Hutch launched its search service in association with Microsoft's Windows Live a month ago. Now it has launched a television commercial to make potential users realise that its offering is both feasible and impressive.

"Internet penetration itself is only 3 per cent in India. Given this scenario, surfing on mobile phones is a practice most have only heard of," says Harit Nagpal, director, marketing, Hutch. Clearly, O&M had to explain search in the best possible way to its customers, he adds.

An Eskimo in the boat amidst locals

Few of them stuffed inside an auto rickshaw

The old man looks up in surprise at the Eskimos

The search complete message on his phone

Super: Search for anything

That's when O&M decided to bring search alive, literally. The 90-second television commercial baffles you at the beginning, but convincingly enough, you feel a breath of relief at the end. After all, who has seen Eskimos (which is, incidentally, viewed as a pejorative description by many, with Inuit being the politically-correct appelation) of the walk around the streets of India?

The ad opens on the shot of a sail boat with many rural passengers, even goats. Also on the boat is an Eskimo, harpoon in hand. The Eskimo is dressed typically in a fur coat, and is the cynosure of all eyes. Some other Eskimos stand patiently at the railway crossing, waiting to cross, completely ignoring the astounded scooter driver beside them.

Two Eskimos wade their way through lush paddy fields while the shocked farmers stare at them; another bunch accommodates itself in an auto rickshaw, rather unsuccessfully. One Eskimo takes a cycle ride from a local boy to reach his destination, even as other kids chase him, a street dog joining in the chase.

Each of these groups of Eskimos finally, against all odds, reaches a common point after which they head to their final destination. An old man with one eye on his mobile and another on his tea cup looks up in surprise at the parade of Eskimos, young and old, surrounding his dinner table, smiling at him. Just then, the scene is interrupted by a tone on the old man's Hutch mobile phone, which says, 'Eskimo- Search Complete'. He smiles as realisation dawns upon him.

'Search Anything' is the caption and the origin of the core idea behind the TVC. Rajiv Rao, senior creative director, O&M, says that it was deliberate to use a search parameter that was unfamiliar. "The idea of Eskimos coming into an Indian city was unimaginable, which is why we decided on that," he explains. Much of the credit for the TVC is being given to Abhinay Deo of Ramesh Deo Productions, who shot it.

The film was shot in scorching heat at 40 degrees Celsius at different locales in Goa. "We had 30-odd Nepalese and Chinese people, look-alikes from restaurants, disguised as Eskimos with authentic costumes made out of synthetic fur and thick layering. It was quite an experience as we shot for four days in sweltering heat," says Deo. He also talks about the weird looks the 'Eskimos' got from the locals.

The TVC will go on air today and has a second edit version with a few different situations. The commercial is intended to facilitate search and surfing of the Internet using mobile phones. Well, the Eskimos may just have to revisit the city!